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The present invention relates to a valve for dispensing a product from a container. The valve is especially suitable for use in a dispensing closure for a flexible container which is squeezable.
There are a wide variety of packages which include (1) a container, (2) a dispensing system extending as a unitary part of, or attachment to, the container, and (3) a product contained within the container. One type of such a package employs a dispensing valve for discharging one or more streams of product (which may be a liquid, cream, or particulate product). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,614 assigned to AptarGroup, Inc. The package includes a flexible, resilient, self-sealing, slit-type valve at one end of a generally flexible bottle or container. The valve is normally closed and can withstand the weight of the product when the container is completely inverted, so that the product will not leak out unless the container is squeezed. When the container is squeezed and the interior is subjected to a sufficient increased pressure so that there is a predetermined pressure differential across the valve, the valve opens. In the preferred embodiment, the valve stays open, at least until the container pressure drops below a predetermined value. In accordance with the preferred embodiments disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,614, the valve can be designed to snap closed if the pressure differential across the open valve drops below a predetermined amount. The valve can also be designed to open inwardly to vent air into the container when the pressure within the container is less than the ambient external pressure, and this accommodates the return of the resilient container wall from an inwardly squeezed condition to the normal, unstressed condition.
It would be desirable to provide an improved valve for a dispensing system that would beneficially allow the user to easily locate the valved discharge end of the inverted container over a receiving receptacle or other target area while minimizing product discharge messiness.
Such an improved valve should also facilitate the control and ease of dispensing the product when the interior of the container is pressurized (e.g., when the container is squeezed or when the container internal pressure is increased by other means).
It would also be advantageous if such an improved valve could accommodate use with bottles, containers, or packages that have a variety of shapes and that are constructed from a variety of materials.
Further, it would be desirable if such an improved valve could accommodate efficient, high-quality, large-volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate to produce a valve with consistent operating characteristics.
The present invention provides an improved dispensing valve which can accommodate designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.
The present invention provides a valve for dispensing a product from a container, and the valve opens once the container interior pressure increases to establish a predetermined pressure differential across the valve. The valve can accommodate discharge of liquids, creams, or particulate matter, including powders.
The valve is adapted for use in dispensing a product from a container having an opening. The valve may be formed as a unitary part of an end of such a container or may be mounted in a separate assembly that is permanently or releasably attached to the container.
The preferred form of the valve is adapted for being sealingly disposed with respect to, and dispensing the product from, the discharge opening of the container. The valve includes a marginal portion adapted to be sealingly engaged when the valve is sealingly disposed with respect to the container discharge opening. The valve also includes a head portion that (1) is laterally inwardly of the marginal portion, (2) has an exterior side for interfacing with ambient environment, and (3) has an interior side for interfacing with the product. A portion of the valve head interior side defines an outer peripheral surface of the valve head corresponding to the thickness at the periphery of the valve head.
The head portion also includes a normally closed orifice which opens to permit flow therethrough in response to a pressure differential across the valve. In the preferred embodiment, the orifice is defined by a plurality of slits that extend (1) through the head portion between the exterior side and the interior side, and (2) laterally from a common origin whereby flaps are defined by the slits with each slit terminating in an outer end. The orifice opens by outward displacement of the flaps when the pressure in the interior of the container exceeds the pressure on the exterior of the valve by a predetermined amount.
According to a preferred embodiment, the head portion of the closed valve may also be characterized as having a generally concave shape when viewed from outside the container. The head portion interior side preferably has a planar central area and a generally curved, radially outer portion which tapers toward the planar central area such that the exterior and interior sides converge toward the planar central area to provide a tapered construction with reduced thickness.
In a preferred embodiment, the valve also has a resilient, flexible, connector sleeve. The connector sleeve extends continuously laterally and inwardly from the marginal portion to the exterior side of the head portion at the peripheral surface thereof. The connector sleeve preferably has a generally curved radius of about a 45 degree angle to the pressure that is applied to it. In so doing, the resistance to the force that is applied to the connector sleeve is weakened causing it to buckle under a lower pressure than other types of slit valves. Since the connecting sleeve is weaker, it is possible to make it thicker. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the connecting sleeve is about 0.011 inches in thickness.
The valve design of the present invention is applicable for use with a wide range of products from powder, shampoo and baby oil to honey and seasonings. The valve design is particularly applicable for dispensing granular products like seasoning, spices and the like.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.